Skip to Content

Scaramanga Leather Tote Bags Reviewed

Scaramanga leather tote bags are beautifully made, roomy and look great. As well as producing gorgeous handmade leather bags goods, Scaramanga has a wonderful back story and impressive ethical values.

 

Woman holding brown leather tote bagPhoto credit @Sarah Mantelin

Promotional Feature

Scaramanga, a Scottish-based company, offers a fabulous range of handmade leather tote bags, travel accessories, bags, satchels, wallets and journals.

They also import repurposed and authentic vintage furniture along with an eclectic range of quirky upcycled homeware. I’m all about upcycling, recycling and repurposing so I was intrigued to learn more about the company.

About Scaramanga

The founder of Scaramanga, Carl Morenikeji, spent six months travelling across India in 1998. He explained how he fell in love with the traditional craftsmanship and skills that he encountered during his travels.

The tools and techniques he came across were handed down through many generations of families in the areas he visited. Today, these skills are still used to produce hand-made, high-quality, authentic goods which Scaramanga bring to the UK. 

The Story

Carl brought home some souvenirs from his India trip. A vintage wooden box from Rajasthan, some leather-bound journals and an old-school leather satchel from the market. Carl had a lightbulb moment when he saw how much everyone loved his souvenirs. Would it be possible to team up with the craftspeople he’d connected with to import leather bags and goods to the UK? Of course, the answer is a resounding yes.

Carl started Scaramanga in 2006 and pioneered the satchel and man-bag revival. More styles were gradually added to the range including totes, messenger bags and duffle bags. Before long the company added vintage furniture to the range. Scaramanga is now an award-winning lifestyle brand with more than 30 styles of leather bags and a wide range of leather accessories. 

 

woman holding brown leather tote bagPhoto credit @Sarah Mantelin

Giving Back

Scaramanga is an ethical company that takes care of its staff and suppliers. The bags are handcrafted in Kolkata by small family-run businesses using Scaramanga’s own retro inspired designs. They’ve been working together for around ten years and the fair-trading relationship means employees are paid an above-average wage. Working conditions are safe and comfortable. 

The small-scale suppliers are dependent on the bag orders for their livelihoods so Scaramanga part-pay them in advance. This way the suppliers can purchase materials and pay their employees as they fulfil the orders. The balance is paid before the order is dispatched to the UK so suppliers don’t have to fund any part of the process before getting paid themselves. Bags are ordered in batches of just 50. Read more about Scaramanga’s ethical, fair-trade policy.

The leathers are semi vegetable tanned using more natural dyes, waxes and oils and fewer harmful chemicals. The vintage look and feel gets better with age and makes each bag unique. Small teams of 4-5 people make the bags from start to finish. Job rotation and training from experienced master craftspeople help employees development new skills and keep the work interesting. 

When national movement restrictions lift in India, Scaramanga will continue planning and making advance payments for this winter’s bag orders.

 

Scaramanga Vintage Furniture and Homeware

Recycled Furniture - wooden table and woven chairs in a garden settingPhoto Credit Scaramanga 

Scaramanga stock a range of repurposed and authentic vintage furniture and homeware as well as leather goods. From antique wooden trunks and chests to vintage leather suitcases, cabinets and cupboards. The items are sourced from around the world and then carefully restored.

The objects are upcycled, repurposed or restored to keep their unique character. Everything has a cool vintage vibe, which I love, and I could happily spend a fortune in their on-line store. The shop in Fife is a bit too far away for me to check out but I’d love to visit.

 

Scaramanga Classic Leather Tote Bags

The classic leather tote bag has been crafted using traditional, artisan skills and high quality leather. The bag feels really well-made and I love the vintage look. There is one roomy main compartment and two small pockets, one each side of the bag. The small pockets fasten with a magnetic stud. Ideal for keys, mobile phone or sunglasses. The bag arrived in a pretty fabric dust-bag.

The stylish bag has two long handles which means it can be carried comfortably over the shoulder and they’re wide enough not to dig in. The handles have brass hardware and are sturdy enough to handle a decent weight. This tote bag is big! My laptop fits in easily, without peeping out of the top and there’s plenty more room for my notebook, purse, phone, keys, make-up bag and other bits and pieces. 

Scaramanga’s distressed leather tote bag measures W39cm x H35 x D12. It’s spacious enough to use as a shopper, work-bag or to hold everything needed for a day out. I’ll use it as an overnight bag too.

The opening doesn’t zip or clip shut but the bag is so deep that I don’t think that’s a problem if valuables are stored at the bottom. 

 

photo montage of Scaramanga leather tote bag

 

Scaramanga Leather Accessories

The bag matches perfectly with the other leather accessories in the range. Think vintage leather purses, credit card and business card holders, luggage tags, leather pencil cases and journals. The fact that they’re hand-made means that every item is slightly different and unique.

I love this bag. It’s excellent quality, well-made and looks fabulous. I’m almost looking forward to autumn when I think it’ll look great with boots, denim and some rustic autumnal colours. 

The leather tote bag is priced at £120. It isn’t the cheapest but it’s a bag that you’ll use countless times and it’ll last forever.

Buy one of Scaramanga’s leather tote bags for yourself or enter the competition below to win one in our giveaway.

Win one of Scaramanga’s Leather Tote Bags – *Closed*

Scaramanga has kindly offered us one of their fabulous Classic Leather Tote Bags to give away to one lucky reader.

To enter, answer the questions on the Rafflecopter application below. If you like the prize you can tweet daily for extra entries. Good luck!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you to Scaramanga for supplying us one of their leather tote bags for our review plus another leather tote bag to give away. As always all views and opinions are entirely our own.

 

Suzanne Jones

Tuesday 30th of June 2020

*This giveaway is now closed*

Gemma Holland

Monday 29th of June 2020

The leather rucksack is lovely and so practical for me

Darren Bourne

Monday 29th of June 2020

This bag looks classy and stylish. My partner would love it.

Vanessa Forsythe

Monday 29th of June 2020

I love the Weekender bag, have bookmarked it as a potential future purchase.

Sammie Martin

Monday 29th of June 2020

I love the large flight bag

Comments are closed.